| How many times do you and I have to read that | | | | occurred in my self image that makes keeping |
| we should eat five to six small meals a day to | | | | the fat off so easy? Well, I used to think of |
| lose body fat? We see it ad nauseam - to the | | | | myself as a big guy who loved to eat. Now I see |
| point where I'm losing my appetite for frequent | | | | myself as a high-performance person who loves |
| meals. By now, not only does every fat loss | | | | eating to fuel his body. A high-performance |
| "expert" know about this piece of advice, but | | | | individual is not someone who doesn't enjoy his or |
| most neophytes as well. | | | | her food; just someone who sees eating as |
| What about the advice that says we should eat | | | | mostly a means of fueling high performance and |
| smaller portions? I think I knew this intuitively | | | | not as a constantly sought pleasure in and of |
| when I was ten years old. However, that didn't | | | | itself. As a person with a self image of high |
| stop me from being a big fat guy a mere | | | | performance, I savor all the benefits (direct and |
| eighteen years later. Somewhere in the interim, | | | | indirect) of being lean and full of energy and |
| my intuitive and gained knowledge became | | | | vitality. At a subconscious level, these benefits far |
| irrelevant in the face of my desire to stuff double | | | | outweigh those of fleshly and immediate |
| cheeseburgers and oversized servings of fries into | | | | gratification that pervaded my inner desires prior |
| my stomach. And it's doubtful that anyone | | | | to my self image becoming that of a high |
| derives more pleasure from piling down those | | | | performer. |
| empty calories than I did. To this day, I've a | | | | Notice that I said direct and "indirect" benefits. In |
| proclivity for eating large quantities at mealtime. | | | | order for you to successfully change your self |
| Maybe it stems from a greater-than-average | | | | image, it's important to internalize every kind of |
| feeling of discomfort with the symptoms of | | | | benefit you will get by doing so. This can build a |
| hunger - maybe I just like to feel satiated. I now | | | | mountain of reasons that can make the |
| keep the calories from being empty to prevent | | | | immediate gratification benefits into molehills by |
| my stomach from feeling that way. | | | | comparison. Example: Losing body fat and |
| But what has really kept me lean? I've been lean | | | | maintaining leanness can create higher daily energy |
| and rock solid with never more than 10 % body | | | | levels for your body. This can surely lead to more |
| fat for seven years now and not the slightest bit | | | | productivity in whatever else you do; whether |
| of "struggle" to stay that way. This is from a guy | | | | you're a professional or a homemaker. Being |
| who used to carry a nearly 40-inch waistline. Sure, | | | | more productive can lead to higher success levels |
| sometimes a day passes in which I haven't eaten | | | | within those other life contexts. This can lead to a |
| six total meals. Sometimes it's only four. Also, I | | | | higher quality and happier life. |
| don't always eat small quantities. In fact, just four | | | | How about this: Being lean and attractive can |
| days prior to this writing, I ate an entire large | | | | draw someone desirable into your life, or it can |
| pizza by myself. That pizza wasn't something out | | | | spice up your relationship with your spouse or |
| of the diet section of the grocery store either; it | | | | significant other. That can lead to more |
| had some calorie-packed toppings and was | | | | contentment, which can support you in all your |
| dripping with extra cheese. That's the only way to | | | | other endeavors. |
| eat pizza in my book. | | | | Another key to aligning your self image for |
| I ate that calorie-dense meal on my "cheat day". | | | | long-term leanness is to go at the fat loss slowly, |
| You've probably heard of the concept; you eat | | | | but not too slowly. This is where things can get |
| clean and healthy for six days or so and then, | | | | tricky. We need to lose body fat slowly enough |
| bam - turn your body into a one-day starch pump | | | | as let our subconscious minds develop a lean self |
| that also gets big doses of dietary lard just to | | | | image, but not so slowly that the fat loss seems |
| grease up the joints. The cheat day concept is | | | | imperceptible. Many people adopt the latest diet |
| believed by some to actually speed up the | | | | craze and lose fat so fast that their subconscious |
| metabolism once stricter eating habits are | | | | self image figuratively "snaps" them back to |
| resumed in the days that follow. Personally, I | | | | where they started. Conversely, losing fat too |
| haven't seen evidence of this. I think its value just | | | | slowly can be so dull as to cause you to forget |
| lies in the fact that it alleviates feelings of | | | | you were ever doing it in the first place. In that |
| deprivation. | | | | situation, a big piece of cheese cake staring at |
| But my cheat day doesn't threaten me with the | | | | you from the food counter at a party can look |
| prospect of a relapse into old habits and regained | | | | like the perfect salve for the hurt you felt when |
| body fat. The reason is one shared by many | | | | none of the attendees noticed the five pounds |
| people who lose substantial unwanted pounds and | | | | you've lost. |
| manage to keep it off. Long-term success boils | | | | The best way to lose body fat slowly enough for |
| down to the way one sees himself or herself at a | | | | your self image to change, yet not so slowly as |
| subconscious level. It comes from a change in self | | | | to lose momentum, is to utilize multi-step |
| image. | | | | gradualism. This is especially effective if you begin |
| In psychology circles, they refer to it as the self | | | | this technique with tactics that cause the greatest |
| concept. I prefer the term used by Dr. Maxwell | | | | amount of fat loss with the least amount of |
| Maltz in his groundbreaking book, | | | | effort and discomfort. Example: Most people can |
| Psycho-Cybernetics.(1) Dr. Maltz said our self | | | | lose substantial fat pounds by merely reducing |
| image is like a subconscious blueprint of the "kind | | | | their carbohydrate intake as the day wears on. |
| of person we think we are", right down to the | | | | No pain, no drastic deprivation; just a simple |
| finest detail. It's formed for most of us through a | | | | macro-nutrient intake shift that can melt cellulite |
| haphazard process of having emotionally digested | | | | off for the first couple months. |
| the experiences and words (both positive and | | | | Think about that for a moment. If all you did was |
| negative) that came barreling at us mostly in | | | | shift most of your carbohydrate intake to the |
| childhood. If we formed our self-beliefs through | | | | morning hours and stop eating carbs entirely |
| mainly the positive words and experiences, we're | | | | during the six hours before bedtime, you'd |
| usually in pretty good shape (self image-wise). If | | | | probably lose ten or twenty pounds of fat. When |
| the negatives took too big of a hold, we can end | | | | that fat has been removed, you can then |
| up with erroneous self beliefs that contribute to a | | | | implement an additional tactical step, and so on. |
| potential-stymieing self image. | | | | When we focus our minds on the powerful life |
| This subconscious self blueprint can't help but have | | | | benefits (both direct and indirect) of being lean |
| an enormous effect on one's tendency to | | | | and shed off the fat pounds with scheduled, |
| experience either ongoing success or disappointing | | | | incremental tactics, our subconscious self image |
| recidivism when undergoing a fat loss program. | | | | has a chance to make its vital shift. When one |
| But our respective self images are our own | | | | masters for himself or herself how to do this, the |
| responsibility once we're older. That's why we can | | | | big "secret" to long-term leanness is discovered. |
| read about eating five to six meals a day or | | | | Then all those books and articles saying you |
| cutting down on high glycemic carbs until the | | | | "should eat five or six small meals a day" and "cut |
| cows come home and it's not enough. It's our | | | | down on your portions" can be seen for what |
| refusal to relinquish the will power game and | | | | they are; the repeating of terrific tactics but not |
| realize the biggest lessons to learn pertain to that | | | | everything you'll need for long-term success. |
| gray matter between our ears, not just the | | | | References (1)Maltz, Maxwell. The New |
| macro-nutrient matter in a protein bar. | | | | Psycho-Cybernetics. Prentice Hall Press. |
| So the natural question becomes: What change | | | | |